About STAY COOL

About Us

STAY COOL for Grandkids is a San Diego-based organization working to encourage grandparents and other seniors to take action against global warming. The mission of STAY COOL is to speak for those too young to have a voice regarding climate policies: our children and grandchildren. STAY COOL harnesses the power of elders through education and advocacy for action on climate change issues in the San Diego region.

Membership is free and open to anyone interested in protecting future generations from the dangers of global warming.

Our Logo

The central element of our logo is planet Earth, depicted as a stylized cool blue and green globe. There are two human arms, one large and one small. The large, dark blue arm denotes a grandparent, handing the Earth to the smaller, light blue arm, signifying a grandchild. The color blue symbolizes stability, trust and wisdom. We use blue to denote a cool, stable planet, the trust our grandchildren have in us, and the wisdom we hope to exercise in safeguarding our grandkids future.

Background

STAY COOL was established in early 2013 as the first United States organization of grandparents and other seniors concerned about global warming. STAY COOL members believe the opportunity to reduce the impacts of climate change is the greatest moral obligation of our time.

The name STAY COOL signifies our objective to keep Earth’s temperature from rising more than 2°C (3.6°F), a climate threshold scientists believe would cause catastrophic changes. STAY COOL also signifies our desire not to betray the trust of our grandchildren – to “stay cool” in their eyes as the generation that helped the planet overcome global warming.

Our Approach

Empower grandparents and grandchildren to be passionate and informed voices on global warming;

Engage members in educational events about a climate action topic, then convert interested elders into “take action” participants;

Activate our base to provide policymakers and elected officials with credible support on climate issues and practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions;

Connect the collective wisdom of elders with San Diego’s youth through environmental education programs.

Recent wins:

STAY COOL “elder advocates” testified at City of San Diego public meetings on climate change that lead to the December 2015 passing of a Climate Action Plan that is a legally binding roadmap for reducing the City’s carbon footprint by nearly 50% by 2035.

We are holding leaders accountable through public comments and published letters in the media.

Our letter writing campaigns have directly informed our elected officials of the urgency to support local polices that reduce emissions.

We initiated a partnership with Scripps Institution of Oceanography graduate students to deliver children’s artwork along with their climate action messages to Paris for the COP21 summit in December 2015.

Through an agreement with Ms. Smarty-Plants, we developed a youth engagement program to educate elementary school students about climate change.

If you are a grandparent that wants to learn more about how you can help prevent climate change, become a STAY COOL member today. It’s free!